Many college students can benefit from classes taught by retired executives, but middle and high schoolers can gain as well. That’s why two years ago, Virginia Tech started a crash course in teaching at its Northern Virginia campus. Through Tech’s Math and Science Teacher Preparation Master’s Degree Program, local retirees can pick up a master’s degree in education in one year instead of two. The degree is designed to help retirees teach in grades six through 12. In the process, they become certified to teach in Virginia’s public schools.

The special program exists because of the high demand for math and science teachers, says Tom Gatewood, director of educational programs at the campus. "School districts like to hire older persons who have experience in the in the workplace, if possible," Gatewood says. "Experience and maturity, as well as a sharply defined interest in teaching, make a nice package."

The novice teachers come from all walks of life. Guy Gardner is a former astronaut who teachers math and physics at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington. Dana Hansson, who just finished the program this spring, was at various times a mechanical engineer, marketer and stay-at-home mom. Hansson will teach eighth-grade physical science this fall at Rocky Run Middle School in Fairfax County. "The thing that attracted me [to the program] was that it was ... assumed you had some degree other than teaching," she says.

Retirees can teach without a master’s, provided they have a bachelor’s degree in the class subject matter and are sponsored by a school district. Once hired, they can apply for a three-year provisional license that allows them to teach while taking classes and a test for a permanent license.

Virginia Tech’s program is designed for people who want a quick career transition, Gatewood says, although there are a few conditions for enrollment. Applicants have to have a bachelor’s degree in math or science, and the school prefers retirees or people looking for second careers. And perhaps most importantly, he says, "These people have a strong interest in working with children and teen-agers."